Turkey gets 'conditional' green light to join EU

TURKEY got a conditional 'yes' from the European Commission in its bid to join the EU yesterday, 40 years after it first applied for membership.

The mainly Muslim country, which would become the EU's biggest member, was given no promises or guarantees of if and when it might join.

"The commission's answer is yes ... it is a conditional yes," European Commission President Romano Prodi said, presenting his report to the European Parliament.

The tough stance is, in part, a reaction to Turkey's failures to fully implement reforms in the past and to growing resistance from a few member states, especially Germany and France, to the country that geographically is 97% in Asia.

The report on the state of democracy, the rule of law and civil and human rights, said the country met the criteria set down by the Union's leaders last December.

But it said Turkey still had a long way to go in those areas and negotiations could be broken off at any stage if they failed to move in the right direction.

"The negotiations are not guaranteed at the outset as being successful," he said.

It suggested special conditions be attached to membership, including a ban on workers coming from Turkey to the other EU countries if there was a sudden surge at any time.

As with the most recent enlargement of 10 countries, an influx of workers is a key concern for some.

The commission's report said between 500,000 and four million Turkish migrants a year could want to move after membership.

There would be long transition periods and specific arrangements for agriculture and regional aid.

Estimates suggest Turkish membership would cost the EU between €16 billion and €27bn from 2025.

However, that would not be factored in until the next long-term budget in 2014.

The report also acknowledged citizens of the EU will need to be convinced that Turkey should join.

Only about 30% of Europeans are unequivocal about having Turkey join while 75% of Turks favour it, though two thirds believe it will never happen.

Mr Prodi appealed to both groups.

"To the Turkish people and the Turkish government I ask them to have faith ... To European public opinion I say, bear with us. The EU has to be self-confident ... and has nothing to fear from the accession of Turkey."

The assessment was welcomed by the Irish Government and by MEP Brian Crowley, co-president of one of the European Parliament's groups, the UEN.

He said: "The history of the EU illustrates how the dignity of difference can bring us together."

But not everybody was positive.

The leader of the largest group, the European People's Party, said an alternative to full membership should be considered.